Carbon has traditionally been the most common material of choice for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) electrocatalyst supports due to its low cost, high abundance, high electronic conductivity, and high Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area, which permits good dispersion of platinum (Pt) active catalyst particles. However, the instability of the carbon-supported platinum electrocatalyst due at least in part to carbon corrosion is a key issue that currently precludes widespread commercialization of PEFCs for automotive applications.
To address the issues with carbon-based catalyst, non-carbon alternatives are being investigated, such as metal oxides. However, the cost of other materials used for PEFCs remains high. One example of another high cost material is the ionomer used to provide proton conductivity, such as NAFION™. Furthermore, the ionomer in the catalyst layer can react with platinum and reduce the platinum activity.